So, this is something I started thinking about last year. Stronghold was a medieval style game that was really fun, but FIRST could have done better promoting what was happening during the time period outside of Western Europe. During this time most of the world was advancing far beyond what Western Europeans had accomplished with their lowly feudal system. Asia was the world powerhouse, making advancements to nautical technology, as well as pioneering, advanced mathematics, gun powder, medical remedies, glasses, and paper. The African continent was also booming with some of the best education, trade, agriculture, military techniques, and exploration. Even in Northern Europe the Vikings were able to stay in touch with the rest of the world because of their advanced seafaring technology. They made great advances in engineering and exploration for the time period. Why were these medieval technological and social advances not discussed? Western Europe did not accomplish much during this time period. I do appreciate that they made Stronghold more of the nerdy medieval trope, and that they had a lot of Month Python and the Holy Grail references, because that was fun, and who doesn't like that movie??? Although, FIRST could have done better, they made the theme accessible for everyone. This years theme on the other had does the complete opposite. As you all know, Steamworks is based off of steam punk, a concept in which the world still rely on steam to power everything, but being that it is in the future there are drastic social advances that support equality and civil rights, instead of the hyper patriarchal society of the late 1800's. I have noticed that instead of focusing on these futuristic ideas, FIRST is focusing too much on the industrial revolution in Europe and the US. Yes, great advancements were made because of the industrial revolution, but it came with tremendous social and environmental costs which are still affecting the entire planet. Let's name a few shall we! First, there were almost no safety regulations, age limits, or employee benefits in factories. Workers had to work for 10-20 hours everyday with no breaks around life threatening machinery. Spacing out for once second could mean getting catch in the machines and dying. Many children as young as 4 years old met this horrific fate. Fingers would get chopped off and end up in peoples canned food. Many workers got poisoned by the chemicals being used and died. Women and children were very prone to sexual assault by shift supervisors. They toiled in factories, mines, and plantations all over the world for just pennies a day. Their environment and living conditions were disgusting, because of the pollution from factories, cities, and animals. Many rivers were so polluted that no animals could survive. Colonialism was also huge in the late 1800's. Europeans went into Africa, the Americas, and Asia and took land from the people who had lived there for thousands of years. In many cases the Europeans forced them into servitude on cruel plantations. They used awful tactics, like cutting off limbs, to force people to work. Slowly, they started destroying the environments of these regions by killing off animals, like the American Buffalo. And who benefitted the most? Rich people in Western Europe and the US did!!! Sure they did give some of their money away, but they earned it at the expense of the planet. The industrial revolution was a terrible time in our history that FIRST must recognize as such. The people in charge of FIRST wonder why there is poor turnout of girls and POC in the program, and this is partially why. The leaders, being mostly white, middle or upper class, male, and older are pretty out of touch with the demographics that want to join FIRST. They have to realize that most people in the world don't see themselves in these patriarchal eurocentric themes, instead they see a white, middle-class, straight man (white middle-class straight men should also have fun in FIRST and STEM while being accepting). We do not have to sit around and deal with this issue. We all have a voice. Start conversations online and with your team. Participate in programs like FIRST Ladies. Go to those inclusiveness seminars they offer at FIRST events and speak your mind! A few years ago, I brought up how the FIRST website only had pictures of white and Asian boys, and they have since changed the pictures to be more inclusive. Support the LGBT+ of FIRST, and start conversations about it on your team. Encourage all kinds of people to join! Contrary to popular belief, all kinds of students are "natural" in a STEM setting, so don't be afraid to ask. By doing this we can all slowly erase the toxic eurocentricity in FIRST Robotics.